Pfizer to Invest $100 Million in R&D in Boston Area

June 09--Pfizer Inc., in the midst of a research-and-development
makeover that will lead to 1,100 job losses in southeastern
Connecticut, said Wednesday it is increasing its commitment to the
Boston area in an attempt to speed up the delivery of critical new
medicines.

Pfizer announced it will invest $100 million over five years to
partner with major universities and hospitals in the Boston area in
setting up a new Centers for Therapeutic Innovation world
headquarters that will create about 50 jobs in the Bay State. This
is in addition to about 350 positions -- many of which are being
offered to local scientists -- that Pfizer previously said would
move to Cambridge, Mass., as part of a consolidation of its
research division.

"While they are adding bodies in Massachusetts, they are cutting
positions in Groton," said John Markowicz, executive director of
the SouthEastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, a
business-development group. "The trend arrow is in the wrong
direction for us."

As part of Pfizer's planned research cuts totaling up to $2.9
billion by next year, Groton will become a support center for
Pfizer's R&D efforts worldwide.

The New York-based Pfizer in the past few months has shifted its
R&D emphasis toward collaborations with universities and
medical schools in major research hubs such as Boston and San
Francisco.

"These partnerships allow leading medical and clinical experts
to join with Pfizer's highly skilled scientists and advanced drug
development capabilities to speed the translation of innovative
science into medicines for patients," said Jose Carlo
Gutierrez-Ramos, a Pfizer senior vice president, in a
statement.

Pfizer, which previously announced partnerships with academic
medical centers in San Francisco and New York City, said the latest
collaboration will involve Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Boston University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston,
Harvard University, Partners HealthCare, Tufts Medical Center,
Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts Medical
School.

Pfizer personnel and its academic partners will move into about
16,600 square feet of laboratory and office space on the top floor
of the 18-story Center for Life Science building in Boston's
Longwood Medical Area. San Diego-based BioMed Realty Trust Inc.,
which rented the space, said Pfizer signed a 10-year lease.

"We are thrilled that Pfizer has chosen Boston," Massachusetts
Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement.

"Boston is leading the life sciences revolution because of the
collaboration that happens between our prestigious medical,
academic and research institutions," added Boston Mayor Thomas M.
Menino.

The Boston Globe reported that Pfizer's five-year investment in
the project will be focusing on biologic medicines, derived from
living organisms, rather than traditional chemistry-based
drugs.

Pfizer previously said it was targeting top-flight research
scientists with an interest in seeing basic discoveries translated
into commercially viable drugs. Either the scientists or the
universities -- or both -- would receive milestone payments from
Pfizer as research progressed, the company said.

In return, Pfizer would get first crack at turning discoveries
into new drugs, the company said.

"We think it's really a great opportunity to embark on a change
and transformation plan which in the end would be very much
enabling patients to get medicine sooner ... and we think we cannot
as a company do it in isolation," The Globe quoted Pfizer's R&D
chief Mikael Dolsten as saying.

Eric Buehrens, interim president of Beth Israel, said in a
statement that academic institutions excel at the early stages of
drug development but need help in turning discoveries into
drugs.

"Our ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between scientific
discovery and the delivery of promising candidates to the (drug)
pipeline," added Pfizer's Gutierrez-Ramos.

Pfizer said it will staff its new Boston offices and labs with
experts in biologics, including antibody engineers, assay
biologists/cellular immunologists, protein scientists and project
managers.

l.howard@theday.com

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